Hunting fans warn of civil disobedience

Supporters of hunting yesterday threatened a campaign of civil disobedience if Labour MPs succeeded in a fresh attempt to force through a ban on hunting with dogs before the next general election.

The Government has been put under pressure to allow another vote on legislation to outlaw hunting by more than 200 MPs who have signed a Commons motion calling for the "early re-introduction" of the Hunting Bill.

The motion, tabled by Labour's Gerald Kaufman and Tony Banks, Ann Widdecombe, a former Conservative minister, and Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat MP for Lewes, states that the Commons has voted on nine occasions since 1995 to ban "the cruel sport of hunting".

The motion calls on the Government to use the Parliament Act to overcome any further opposition from the House of Lords and ensure a ban becomes law by the end of this parliamentary session. This would mean hunting in England and Wales could become a criminal offence by next spring.

Hunt supporters warned ministers to expect trouble from hundreds of thousands of rural and urban dwellers if a further attempt to ban hunting went ahead. Tim Bonner, the Country Alliance's spokesman, said: "There will be a very serious campaign of civil disobedience on this."